Action Alert guidelines
By Melanie Nathan, November 13, 2012.
UPDATED – 11/26/2012
AS AN AMERICAN YOU ASK WHAT CAN I DO? PLEASE SUPPORT THE GetEQUAL Petition-
UGANDA Kill The Gays Bill:- Looms before parliament this week. You ask as an American what can you do? I am proud to say that I had the great honor to work this weekend with the extraordinary GetEQUAL Team and we decided to to target THE Evangelicals who were responsible for the KILL THE GAYS BILL as well as The Reps and Senators who form part of THE C STREET FAMILY. This is a fantastic and imperative campaign to help combat the BILL PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND SPREAD THIS PETITION AROUND ….. Thank you, Melanie Nathan, [email protected]
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UPDATED 11/23/2012.: A lot has happened since writing this Article. The Ugandan Activists are now calling for Protests and a letter writing campaign to Speaker Kadaga. They still do not want foreign Governments to cut AID to Uganda, but we should start the protests against the Ugandan Government immediately as the Bill is scheduled to enter Parliament for a vote next week. My Latest article appears at https://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2012/11/23/uganda-anti-homosexuality-bill-on-way-to-parliament-from-committee/ The death penalty may have been deleted from the Bill, but the untenable consequence of life in prison remains.
While the Ugandan Anti-homosexuality Bill is about to pass, I have had many readers express outrage and a desire to tackle the Ugandan Government with protests and petitions. However as I have said all along, this could do more harm than good. If the Bill passes, indeed we will be outraged as an international LGBT community. The Ugandans are fully aware of what the international community thinks about the Bill. However the Ugandan LGBT community is urging caution at this time. While this is a tough course to agree to, as we may feel remiss when the Bill does pass, we owe it to the local groups in Uganda to respect their direction:-
HOW TO SUPPORT FROM A FAR ABOUT THE RECENT RESURRECTION OF THE ANTI HOMOSEXUALITY BILL IN UGANDA
Released November 13, 2012 at 8:22am
Dear Partners, friends and colleagues,
We thank you for all the support you have a accorded the Coalition since the tabling of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in 2009, and we look forward to your continued collaboration in the struggle to see this bill dismissed once and for all.
In response to the recent claims made by the Hon Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament that she would see the Anti-Homosexuality Bill passed before this year comes to a close, we urge you to adhere to the following Action Alert Guidelines and to always seek clarification where there is a difference of opinion on tactics or where there is confusion or need for further information.
We encourage you to:
1. Urgently engage with the leadership of the nation (the President, the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition, The Speaker, the Minister for Gender Labor and Social Development, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Justice and any other Cabinet Ministers that you can engage with, the Inspector General of Police and the Principal Judge) to impress upon them the needlessness and imminent harm of this bill. This must however been done diplomatically and off the media. There should not be any media/public admonitions PLEASE!
2. Engage with any non-LGBTI partner organizations in Uganda that you may collaborate with or whom you fund to establish what their thinking is on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, as well as their thinking on other related legislative moves such as the proposal to amend the Penal Code in line with the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill. We would strongly encourage other mainstream Ugandan organizations such as human rights NGOs and entities like the Uganda Law Society to speak out strongly against the impartiality of the speaker as well as this draconian bill. 3. Draw international public attention to issues such as corruption (tagging it to the recent corruption cases in the Ministry of Public Service and the Office of the Prime Minister), human trafficking, nodding disease in northern, land-grabbing, as well as the suppression of media freedom and civil society space, so that attention shifts to where it properly belongs; in the best interests of the country’s population as a whole. 4. Go ahead with any preparations of statements, campaigns, and other public documents for when the bill appears on the Order Paper of Parliament (you will be alerted when this happens) as well as for a worst-case scenario in which the Bill is passed into law. 5. Contribute physical, financial, or technical support to the LGBTI community as well as the exposed Human Rights Defenders working with LGBTI rights who are likely to begin to be arrested and charged almost as soon as the Bill is passed. The entire leadership of the Uganda Coalition has decided that any such assistance shall be channeled through a central point at the CSCHRCL secretariat from where it shall be communally managed. 6. Engage with your policy makers to take stronger measures to ensure that LGBTI issues are mainstreamed into calls for proposals, grant agreements, project design, implementation and evaluation as part of a long term strategy to establish LGBTI friendly services and programmes for all Ugandans as an inclusive practice.
We urge that you do NOT:
1. DO NOT Put out any public press statements on the Bill for now. But you can express your opinion if asked about the Bill. However this opinion must be candid and practical without being ‘insulting’. 2. DO NOT Make strong public statements threatening to cut aid or in support of such threats in response to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, as this can lead to scape-goating of the LGBTI community as well as Human Rights Defenders working with LGBTI rights and whip up sentiments for the Bill. Please note; We would like Ugandans to take charge of this campaign for now. Only if the Bill is mentioned/programmed in the Business of Parliament or passed into law shall we encourage a fully-fledged international outcry which can come in all forms such as; Public statements (written or spoken), public letters, solidarity campaigns, peaceful protests, interviews, opinion pieces et cetera.
CSCHRCL Secretariat
WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO IF UGANDA PASSES THE AHB – See my August 2011 Article at http://gayusathemovie.com/2011/08/petition-tell-uganda-stop-kill-the-gays-bill-set-to-pass-in-2-weeks/
UPDATED:
11/15/2012 – Addressing religious leaders conf. today Speaker repeatedly said she has asked for the report on the anti gay bill to be brought 2 parliament.
UPDATED: 11/23 – On a Conference call today with USA activists – we note we are now receiving direction to start the protests against Uganda, Please keep an eye on this BLOG. We will protest at various locations starting next week when the Bill goes to the Ugandan Parliament to support the LGBT activists and to hold the USA Evangelicals accountable for causing so much pain and suffering to Uganda’s gay and lesbian, LGBTI community.
Updated: 11/23/2012 Watch Uganda TV report Legal Committee endorses on Anti-Homosexuality Bill depicting gay activists out of context at https://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2012/11/23/watch-uganda-tv-report-legal-committee-endorses-on-anti-homosexuality-bill-depicting-gay-activists-out-of-context/
THE REAL PROBLEMS OF UGANDA – IN TRUTH GAYS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM; THEY ARE BEING USED AS A PLOY TO OBSCURE THE TRUTH ABOUT UGANDA:
They came to Uganda to preach against homosexuality; the American Evangelical Christians, exporting hate. And they succeeded in influencing legislators to come up with a Bill that has been introduced several times into the Ugandan Parliament, where it continues to languish, known as the Anti-Homosexuality or Kill the Gays Bill. Yet when looking at the real problems facing Uganda, which boil down to despotism, corruption and poverty, one wonders how the Ugandans could have fallen for the great Biblical ploy enshrined in holy hypocrisy. READ MORE
ADDS TO WRITE TO:-
From Melanie:- Send your Story about being Gay (LGBTI) to Ugandans, Explain who you are and why you are concerned about the AHB. Please be respectful and polite. Ugandans are good people who are badly informed and influenced by untruths and false information. Help correct this with education and factual information. No cussing and no rudeness no matter how angry you feel please:-
UPDATED
Please send statements to the addresses below.The Anti Homosexuality Bill could pass this week.We condemn the Bill in its entirety.All the articles are already provided for in the constitution and penal code.
“Courage is our virtue,Freedom is our goal” Kasha Jacqueline
1. President: Yoweri Museveni Lt. Gen. Yoweri Museveni Office of The President Parliament Avenue
Telephone: +256 (0) 414 343 311
Fax: +256 (0) 414 436 102
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
2-Secretary Office of the PresidentMrs. T. Kinaalwa
Email: [email protected] Tel. 041 4 233 717Fax 041 4 256 143
2. Speaker of the Parliament: Rebecca Kadaga Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga Parliament of the Republic of Uganda
Tel: +(256) 377 000/150. Fax: +(256) 414 346 826
3. Prime Minister: Amama MbabaziRt. Hon. Amama MbabaziPostel Building Yusuf Lule Road P.O. Box 341 Kampala
Phone: +256 414 254 252Fax: +256 414 341 139 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.opm.go.ug/
4. The Minister of Foreign Affairs: Sam Kutesa
Email: [email protected] TEL: 256-41-257525/345661/258252 FAX:256-41-258722/232874
5- State Minister of Ethics and Integrity: Simon LokodoHon. Simon Lokodo Office of The President Parliament
+256-0414-301600 Fax: 256-041-4 343177E-mail: [email protected]
6-Minister of Health: Christine OndoaHon. Dr. Christine Ondoa
Telephone: 256-414-340874 /231563 /9 Email: [email protected]
7-Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs: Kahinda OtafiireHon. Kahinda Otafiire
Tel: 256-41- 230538Fax: 256-41- 254829 E-mail: [email protected] & [email protected]
8- Minister of Gender, Labour & Social Affairs: Kabwegyere Tarsis
Email: [email protected] +256 775 785282 +256 782 808191
9. Other people: Director General Uganda AIDS CommissionDr. Kihumuro Apuuli Office of The President Parliament Avenue P.O. BOX 7168, Kampala, Uganda Tel. 071 2 968 028
Tel: +256-414 288065 +256-414 258173
Email: [email protected]
http://www.parliament.go.ug & http://www.statehouse.go.ug
Related articles
- Ugandan LGBT Coalition urges extreme caution when foriegners advocate against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill (oblogdeeoblogda.me)
- Uganda Coalition of Leaders Promote Kill the Gays with Lies (oblogdeeoblogda.me)
- Ugandan Speaker Taunts World vowing to revive Kill the Gays Bill (oblogdeeoblogda.me)
- Will Barclays Bank speak out against the Ugandan Kill the Gays Bill (oblogdeeoblogda.me)
Thanks Melanie..sharing and tweeting q 2 hours with your header.
Thank you for all your support!
Are there any issues with reposting the letter? Is there a link or a group name we can cite as the source (understanding, of course, the need for discretion, given the current level of risk in Uganda)?
You can repost the letter with a link to my site. You can say it was written by a Coalition of LGBT Civil Societies in Uganda. I purposely did not put individual names to it. Thanks for the support.
BTW, for anyone who hasn’t read it, I also highly recommend PRA’s report, “Colonizing African Values — How the U.S. Christian Right is Transforming Sexual Politics in Africa” — http://www.publiceye.org/Reports/Colonizing_African_Values/Pdfs/PRA%20Report%2072dpi.pdf
THANKS will take a look and will post.
What’s the name of this coalition, Melanie?
Ad Hoc group of well known LGBT activists. I have chosen not to publish any names. I do not want to be responsible for any safety issues or repercussions if the Bill were to pass. Save to say that it was provided to me directly by one of the advocates who comprises a group writing the advisory.
Thank you! I feel for LGBT in Uganda. I’m straight but I looked for any one site that had to do with LGBT I didnt see any I took it to myself to start a group on facebook called Save Uganda Gays…my friends in the gay community in the US easily found some homophobic connotations that I did not intend but it is because Im not gay…I know because Im black and I see how other races try to struggle with not being racist…I bought a website too http://www.saveugandagays.com it has been up for a year I just could not find anyone to run it….plz any LGBT Uganda please contact me so I can hand over the two…I cannot pretend that I know anything about LGBT other than being a spathizer and a suporter for ciil rights any where in the world.
“The entire leadership of the Uganda Coalition has decided that any such assistance shall be channeled through a central point at the CSCHRCL secretariat from where it shall be communally managed. ”
How can monetary donations be made?
I will find out and get back to you re the donations
If passage could come as early at Tuesday, aren’t we to the “fully-fledged international outcry” point?
YES BUT APPARENTLY THEY ARE HOLDING OUT hope for behind the scenes stuff. My question is how do they think the powers that be such as as Kadaga and Bahati are going to save their fragile ego face if it does not pass. I would muc rather have upped the ante – but at this point it is tantamount to threat and that is counter productive. However when the BILL does pass it is too indeed too late and i think that is the part the activists are in denial of – We will then be faced with what action we take and the action will no longer be a mere threat.
Thank you Melanie Nathan. You are a true international LGBTI ambassador
MY BLOG has been hot by the thousands.
THANK you, this is exactly what I’ve been wondering about and couldn’t find information on before. I already signed two petitions to cut aid. I don’t feel too bad as I at no point thought they would do it based on the petitions, and only signed them to “put pressure”, but I’m not recommending it now.
It did occur to me long ago that we should try to pressure the American evangelicalists involved to stop promoting their hate. I found an HRC petition for that purpose that seems to be alive still, here – https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1013
PLEASE re-format it so it’s easier to read, in case people are lazy. The freethoughtsblog did, but I don’t want to send people there as they don’t have your updates.
Thanks for the input. Will try and reformat but a one man show here trying to keep this all going without funding or help and so much to do to keep up with it.
I am working with other activists as we speak on a massive strategy to go after the evangelical s and hold them accountable. Please keep an eye on these pages and a new article I am going to put up soon about Scott Lively and Museveni.
Absolutely will. Thank you again for this amazingly important blog. I wish I would’ve gotten seriously involved and read this earlier, if more people had maybe the strategies they insist on here would’ve been enough.
(By “reformatting” I only meant to do line breaks by the numbers btw. IF you get a chance in all this.)